Ramblings of an Irish Writer

Menu

Monthly Archives: January 2015

So … a couple of months ago, a group of readers kindly invited me to attend one of their book-club meetings to discuss my work and, of course, I gladly agreed. I could say my eagerness to participate was in some way due to the offer of a free cup of tea at the event. Or I could claim I was persuaded by the assurance that in the whole history of this particular book club, no writer has ever been attacked or seriously harmed at one of the meetings. But truthfully, the opportunity to receive feedback on my book from a group of avid readers was too good to turn down.

Shortly after, I began to think about the type of question I might be asked during the evening. Open forums and interviews can often prove to be unpredictable affairs and this set me about considering the most unusual questions other writers have been asked. Trawling through some online newspapers and blogs I came across a scattering of odd interview queries, like the time Jodi Picoult was asked if she would rather be able to “sing really well” or have the ability “to fly”, and the time Rachael Hanel was quizzed as to who her favourite serial killer was. It’s worth noting here that Hanel doesn’t write crime fiction.